https://www.facebook.com/laurence.dumais.7/videos/2457537627619707/
CANMORE – A cup of coffee a day goes a long way for a local cross-country skier.
Laurence Dumais is getting into the tasty coffee business, and as the high-level athlete puts in the groundwork to get ground beans in cups, she hopes her business venture produces the results she’s looking for.
At 21 years old, the up-and-coming skier has big dreams, and Montreal-based micro roaster Barista, wants to help Dumais reach them.
The Alberta World Cup Academy product trains full-time towards achieving an Olympic Games berth, while taking online university courses for business and working as a lifeguard part time.
“I want to do as much as I can with the time that I have,” Dumais said.
Though it all can get “pretty tiring,” she admits, which is why to focus more on her goals, Dumais gets financial assistance through bursaries and sponsorships, such as from Barista, which offers an athlete ambassador program for young athletes up to the Olympic level to earn money from selling their product.
The ambassador program is pretty simple, if Dumais sells enough $20, 500-gram bags of Barista’s special blend of espresso beans or filter beans (whole beans or ground for each), she has more time to focus on her dreams.
“Because I’m working, I don’t have much time to do more classes,” Dumais said, who is slowly, but surely working her way through online classes at Laval University.
Dumais is originally from Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, and has lived in Canmore since her senior year of high school.
She didn’t speak a speck of English when she moved to the Rockies four years ago, but showed dedication to learn it while she trained with some of the countries best skiers.
“High school was really hard, but it helped being in the ski club and being in a ski community,” she said.
Dumais has been competing heavily on the North American Cup circuit, and has shown promising results at the national level over the past few years.
Dumais said it would be “pretty sweet to race at home” for the World Cup Finals next year in Canmore.
Recently, Dumais had an interview with Quebec charity company On L’Fait.org, meaning We Do it, which helps athletes finds sponsorships.
It was through this outlet the student is getting her first sip of running a business.
“I’m for sure in contact with people I know. It’s kind of hard, I thought coffee would be easy to sell,” she joked.
To contact Dumais, email [email protected] or call 450-822-7582.
